Project: Keahi
by YinYangWriter
Summary: She was so easy to manipulate. So easy that Dr. Sevarius couldn't pass up the chance to create another mutate so he could take his revenge against Talon and the others.
1. Chapter 1

**I do not own**_** Gargoyles**_**. This story has been rattling around in my head for a long time, but I never knew how to end it. Unlike most of my stories, I'm posting it before I have some sort of ending in mind. In other words, it may take some time getting these chapters up. Enjoy the first chapter of **_**Project: Keahi**_**. I appreciate the reviews and comments.**

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><p>It was a stormy night in Portland, Oregon. The rain was freezing on the skin of Makanilani Puamana. She wandered the streets, searching the garbage for scraps. The other homeless paid her no mind and she paid no mind to them.<p>

Makanilani was a twenty-three year old whose beautiful Polynesian features were void of any emotion, her dark eyes cold. Her black hair was long and tangled. Her clothes were threadbare, a thin shawl over her shoulders. What was left of her right arm, what little there was, throbbed. She reached up and touched it, pain crossing her face for a brief moment.

"Do you need a place to stay?" asked a voice behind her.

Makanilani turned around. A man in his forties, stocky in build, with red hair was standing in the shadows. He was dressed in a raincoat and hat.

"My dear, you must be freezing," he said.

"I don't mind," Makanilani replied.

The man was not pleased by the answer. "I need an assistant," he suddenly said. "The pay is decent and the conditions are more desirable than this."

"I do not know how much help I will be," Makanilani said, touching her shoulder again.

"Don't worry," said the man. "We can work around that. Come."

Makanilani walked over to him. The man took off his raincoat and threw it over Makanilani's shoulders.

"My name is Dr. Sevarius," the man said.

"Makanilani Puamana."

"Makanilani. What a lovely name."

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><p>It was a beautiful June evening in Hawaii. Makanilani was dressed in a red bikini and a grass skirt. Everyone at the luau was all smiles. Makanilani's long time friend, Utako, had just tied the knot with her fiance.<p>

The reception was just getting underway. Makanilani and several other hula girls were preparing for their dance. Utako broke away from her husband and hugged Makanilani.

"Thank you," she said. "Thank you so much."

Makanilani laughed. "I should be thanking you. You've done so much for me."

That was true. It was Utako who had taken her in after her parents died and there was no one else to look after her. That was three years ago.

"Are you going to play then?" Utako asked. "I'll sing."

"Of course," said Makanilani.

"Makani!" one of her friends called.

Makanilani and her friends danced for the guests. Afterwards, Utako and Makanilani prepared to preform for them.

"Hurry up!" called Utako. "They're waiting!"

Makanilani searched for her violin. "I'm coming!" she cried over her shoulder.

She found her violin and started for the stage where everyone had gathered. Utako was already standing center stage with the microphone in her hand. That was the last time Makanilani ever saw Utako and her family.

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><p>The newspapers called it "The Waikiki Wedding Massacre" because almost everyone in both families who attended died. Almost. Makanilani was the sole survivor of the bombing that took everything away from her. Her friends. Her family. Her dreams.<p>

Her right arm was damaged beyond repair. The surgeons' only choice was to amputate. That was three years ago, but Makanilani remembered it well.

She had no real will to live. She had no purpose. So when Anton Sevarius injected her with a mutagenic formula, she did not fight back.

The transformation was painful to say the least, but Makanilani made no fuss as she lay in her cage, curled up in a ball. When it was over, Makanilani Puamana had died and a new creature was born. This creature would obey every command Sevarius would give her.

The creature's name: Keahi.

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><p><strong>More chapters coming soon. I am not sure when the next will be up. Please review this chapter.<strong>


	2. Chapter 2

**Forgive me that it is taking longer than usual to get these chapters up. I do not own **_**Gargoyles**_**.**

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><p>Keahi woke in a bed. She flexed her hands and looked at her new right arm. Sevarius said that he was unable to create a flesh and blood arm for her at the time and a cybernetic arm would be used for the time being. It looked like her real arm, but it was heavy and didn't immediately respond to her brain's commands.<p>

Sevarius came into the room and stood at her bedside.

"How is it?" he asked, looking at Keahi's cybernetic arm.

"Adequate," Keahi replied.

"I am in the process of creating another cybernetic arm for you," Sevarius said. "This one will be lighter and more responsive to your commands. I noticed you were having some trouble with this one." He looked at the belt that helped distribute the weight of the arm that went around Keahi's torso. It was leaving scratches across her chest. "It shouldn't be too long."

"Thank you, Doctor," said Keahi.

"My dear, I've told you before," Sevarius said, kissing her cheek. "Call me Anton."

Sevarius left the room and hurried to a room the size of a broom closet. He pulled the curtain of the one-way mirror away so he could see Keahi.

Keahi got out of bed and began undressing, unaware that Sevarius was watching.

_My best work yet,_ Sevarius thought. _She easily can pass for human. The only trouble is her eyes. As long as no one looks closely, they won't suspect a thing. She may not have been the perfect candidate, but she will do._

Keahi was a beauty, that was for sure. The formula had given her many things, but unlike the mutates Sevarius first created, it did not rob her of her good looks. If anything, it improved them. Her body was now one of lean muscle, her eyes catlike and luminous at times, her straight black hair came to her knees and she braided it every day. Her skin was tan, like it was before, but it sported ever so faint markings on her shoulders of that of the clouded leopard, whose genes she now possessed. Her fingernails were long and painted a deep red, almost the color of blood.

The only thing Sevarius had not counted on was that Keahi could hide her wings. The large bat wings that the mutates possessed were hidden inside Keahi's body and she was able to spread them whenever she liked. The only indications that she had wings were the two faint lines running down her back next to her spine.

_The strength, speed, and the agility of a clouded leopard, the flight of a bat, the electrocution_ _capabilities of an electric eel, the intelligence of a human, and the broken spirit of a needy woman. She's perfect!_

Sevarius went to his office.

"She's perfect," he said to himself. "Almost too perfect. If it weren't for that missing arm of hers, she would be. It's a good thing I lowered the dosage of the formula or things wouldn't have turned out the way they did."

Sevarius sat down at his desk and turned on his computer. He pulled up a video of Keahi while she was in training against several armed mercenaries. Keahi easily dispatched them. She didn't kill any of them, but she sent two to the hospital.

"I chose well when I gave her the clouded leopard genes," Sevarius continued. "She easily can scale walls and leap great distances. Thanks to the small size of the females, she did not gain any unwanted weight or bulky muscle. And she is more savage than human once she gets the scent of blood in her nose."

He watched the monitor as Keahi brought down a wild boar and began ripping it to shreds, eating as she went. That day they hadn't fed her and she was very hungry. Sevarius noticed that her appetite was unpredictable. Some days she ate like a ravenous animal and other days she would turn her nose up.

Sevarius pulled up another video of Keahi recovering from surgery in a tank like the one Thailog was in. While she was recovering, Sevarius subliminally educated her how to use numerous weapons and operate a variety of vehicles. He also programed her to obey his every command.

Sevarius left his office and found Keahi in the kitchen eating her breakfast. Due to her unpredictable appetite, Sevarius let her choose what she wanted to eat in the mornings. Today Keahi had chosen sausage and pancakes. Sevarius thought it was a little strange that she still liked food that a carnivore would not eat. It was possible that Keahi's body had not adjusted to one of a carnivore, and there was the possibility that it never would.

Keahi looked up from her plate at Sevarius.

"I have a job for you, my dear," he said.

Sevarius had Keahi's full attention.

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><p><strong>Okay, people, send your predictions! I love to know what you think about this.<strong>


	3. Chapter 3

**Sorry it took so long to get these next chapters up. Lucky for you, I have two chapters instead of one! I do not own **_**Gargoyles**_**, but the OC is mine! Please review.**

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><p>Elisa dragged herself to the Eyrie Building with a case folder so thick that it was about to split open. Her limbs were heavy with fatigue and she fought to keep her eyes open. This case had her stumped and everything pointed to something other than the norm. Elisa was hoping that the gargoyles would be able to help her. Five minutes. Five minutes alone with Goliath, that's all she wanted.<p>

As she got off the elevator, Elisa rubbed her neck with her free hand. She had such a kink! Elisa figured that she would need a chiropractor to fix her neck. She wondered if Matt knew any good ones.

"Detective," said Owen. "How nice of you to visit."

"Hey, Owen," muttered Elisa, keeping her eyes directed to the floor in front of her as she tried to get some relief. "Is Goliath here?"

"He's in the library," Owen answered.

"Thanks."

Elisa walked to the library and entered. There was a fire burning in the fireplace, just like Goliath always liked it. But where was he?

"Goliath?" she called. Elisa heard a book close.

"Elisa," Goliath said, emerging from the shadows. He had a smile on his face. "I was beginning to worry. You haven't visited in a long time."

"Sorry," said Elisa, allowing Goliath to rest his hands on her shoulders. The heat from his hands felt good, almost therapeutic. She let her head fall as she relaxed. As she did, the thick case folder fell from under her arm and the papers scattered everywhere. "Great!"

Elisa bent down and began picking up the papers. Goliath knelt down and helped her gather them, glancing at the photographs.

"Is this the case that has been keeping you?" he asked.

"Yeah," replied Elisa. "I've hit a wall with it. I was hoping you guys would be able to help me."

Elisa slipped the papers back into their folder. Goliath scooped her up and walked over to the high back chair and sat down with Elisa in his lap.

"Tell me," he told her.

Elisa turned her head from side to side to try and crack her neck, but nothing happened. She reached back and rubbed her neck again. "There has been a series of robbery/homicides the past three weeks," she told Goliath. "Five people are dead, six more in the hospital. Four places have been hit: a bank, a jewelry store, a museum, and the Bronx Zoo."

Elisa reached back and rubbed her neck again.

"What's wrong?" Goliath asked, concerned. He noticed that this was the second time in the past three minutes that Elisa touched her neck. There was a slight grimace on her face each time she did.

"It's nothing," said Elisa. "Just a sore spot."

Goliath shifted Elisa in his lap so that her back was to him. He placed his hands on her shoulders and gave a gentle squeeze. Elisa let her head fall forward again. Goliath's hands felt so good. She lifted her head slightly and felt her neck pop.

_Never underestimate the healing power of touch,_ Elisa thought dreamily. _Big Guy, you never cease to amaze me._

"Better?" asked Goliath.

Elisa leaned back so she was lying against Goliath's chest. "Yeah," she replied. "Where were we?"

"The Bronx Zoo," Goliath prompted.

"Right," said Elisa, putting the folder on her lap. She began taking pictures out. "Witnesses say they didn't see anything until the screaming began. What I don't get is why the zoo. Everywhere else is some good money to be stolen, but the zoo? It just seems out of place."

"What about the victims?" Goliath asked.

"The five that are dead were all security guards," said Elisa. "Whoever did this took them out quick and clean. Four of the five died instantly or close to it. Two had their throats slashed by an unknown weapon, one was shot in the chest, and the fourth in the head. The fifth was dismembered. The M.E. isn't sure if it was done postmortem yet."

Goliath looked at the crime scene photographs of the five victims. The two who had their throats slashed were almost decapitated.

"These do not appear to be knife wounds," said Goliath.

"What?" asked Elisa, taking a closer look.

"See?" Goliath pointed. "The skin was not cut. It appears to be torn."

"Torn?" Elisa was confused.

"Come," said Goliath, getting up. "We must tell the others. Hudson may be able to explain this more clearly."

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><p>"The lad's right," said Hudson, looking at the photograph. "This man's throat was ripped open, not slashed."<p>

The others had gathered in the great hall. Elisa had explained what all was happening with the case and that she and the other detectives were stumped.

"Broadway, come here," said Hudson. Broadway walked up to Hudson and Hudson turned him around. "Someone came up behind them," Hudson explained, placing a taloned hand to one side of Broadway's neck, "and ripped it open, like so." Hudson, who was not applying any pressure to Broadway's skin, jerked his hand across the aqua gargoyle's throat. "These two lads died instantly. They probably didn't know what hit them."

"It took a lot of rage to do something like that," said Elisa. "Unless this guy has the strength of a gargoyle."

"What about the fifth?" asked Angela. "You said he was dismembered."

Elisa took out the photos of the fifth victim. The gargoyles passed them along, each taking a look at them, their eyes glowing briefly.

"It must have taken some time to do this to that guy," said Elisa. "We can't find what was used to do that to him."

"No, it didn't, lass," said Hudson. "This happened very quickly. No blade was used on this man. He was ripped to pieces with someone's bare hands."

"I hope he did not suffer," Angela said in a small voice.

"He didn't, lass," said Hudson. "His heart stopped beating before this was done to him. What disturbs me are these wounds here." Hudson pointed to several wounds close to the man's neck and shoulders. "These aren't claw marks. Something bit him."

Elisa took a closer look. "Those don't look human."

"Because they're not," Lexington piped up. "The penetration of the incisors is too deep."

"This guy was a security guard at the Bronx Zoo," said Elisa. "There were a few animals out of their cages when he was found."

"Maybe they decided that they wanted a midnight snack," said Brooklyn.

"The bites are the killing wounds of this man," said Hudson.

"But to be dismembered," Elisa said with a shake of her head. "That was personal."

"Unless the animals did it," said Broadway.

"Nay," said Hudson. "He has the same marks as the other two. The one who cut the throats of the first two did this to this man."

"Like I said, a lot of rage." Elisa shuddered at the thought of whoever this was. She began to try to put a picture of this person together. Whoever it was was probably male, just by the sheer strength it took to do something like this. Tall, very muscular, with a nasty temper. Elisa was glad that she brought the gargoyles in on this one. A SWAT team may not stand against a man like this.

"We will keep our eyes open for your guy," said Brooklyn.

"Thanks, guys," said Elisa. She yawned. "I better get home. I need some sleep."


	4. Chapter 4

Sevarius watched Keahi as she came out of the bathroom. Her hair was damp and free from its braid. There was a content smile on her face, but no real emotion in her eyes. So far everything was going as planned. She was obeying him without question.

Sevarius was not in need of money or jewels, but it was a perfect exercise for Keahi. The police had no leads. She was in and out before anyone saw anything. The cameras picked up nothing because Keahi had fried them with her bioelectricity. Personally, he thought the guard at the Bronx Zoo was a bit overkill. He surmised Keahi's animal instincts kicked in and she went berserk at the smell of blood.

"You are such an intelligent young lady, my dear," said Sevarius, coming up behind Keahi. He placed his hands on her shoulders. He breathed in her scent. "And beautiful. So beautiful."

Sevarius began kissing her neck. Keahi made no move to get away, but she did not respond to his touch either. Sevarius continued to kiss her neck and her shoulders.

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><p>"Your new cybernetic arm is completed," Sevarius told her. "Come to the infirmary when you are ready to test it."<p>

Keahi sat in the infirmary. Sevarius completed a new cybernetic arm. Keahi had taken off her cybernetic arm and waited. Her shoulder looked normal, except for several small dark dots that were the sockets. The cybernetic arm would be plugged into those sockets. A seal would be used to hold the arm to her stump. The stump of her shoulder was slightly chafed from the seal of her old arm.

"Here," said Sevarius. He held the upgraded arm up to her shoulder. "Let's see if this fits."

Keahi helped him line up the plugs to her sockets. Sevarius activated the seal and it gave a slight hiss.

"Try it out," said Sevarius.

Keahi flexed her hand and fingers, raised her arm up and down, bent the elbow. It was perfect.

"Thank you," said Keahi. "This is much better. Much lighter as well."

"Now you don't need that crude support," said Sevarius.

"Again, thank you, Doctor," said Keahi. Sevarius cleared his throat. "I'm sorry. Anton."

Sevarius smiled. "Now, let's see what you can do with that arm."

Keahi followed Sevarius with her eyes as he crossed the infirmary to a table. He picked up a file folder and returned to where she was sitting. Sevarius opened it up to reveal several photographs of mutates.

"I want you to destroy the mutates," Sevarius told her.

"As you wish," Keahi said in a monotone voice.

Sevarius sat in his office chair, musing over his work.

"The mutates have been successful when it came to creating them, but controlling them is another matter. And then there is Thailog," Sevarius growled. Then he smiled. "But Keahi, she is the answer. If she kills the mutates, takes care of Thailog, and the clones, it'll be perfect."

Sevarius grinned evilly. "And then the pièce de résistance: my revenge."

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><p>Talon and Maggie were making their rounds about the Labyrinth. It was a very quiet night. There was nothing out of the ordinary. Claw was guarding Fang's cell and the clones were playing with the Labyrinth children.<p>

Fang was tormenting Claw. Claw simply ignored him. He sat with an old newspaper in his lap and read, keeping his ears open for anything out of the ordinary.

From the shadows, a pair of eyes watched Claw. Claw felt someone watching him and he looked up. He squinted and saw the form of a person. Claw put out his hand and motioned them to come out.

Fang let out a shout of shock as something knocked Claw to the ground with a panther like roar. They wrestled for a moment before Claw managed to kick his assailant away and sit up.

"Whoa!" said Fang. "Can't you take a girl?"

Claw got to his feet and bared his teeth and spread his wings and claws. Standing before him was a tanned skin female with catlike eyes and an expressionless face. She was wearing tight, black shorts and a matching black halter top with black, knee-high boots. Her eyes lit up and a bolt of bioelectricity struck a surprised Claw in the chest and sent him flying into Fang's cell.

"Claw, get up!" Fang yelled. He banged on the door of his cell, trying to get it open as the mysterious woman stalked up to Claw. "Someone! Talon! Talon, help!"

The woman glared at Fang and turned back to Claw, who was trying to get up.

At that moment, Talon pounced on the woman. There was growling, roaring, and hissing and blows were exchanged. Maggie and the clones came running as well and joined the fray. The woman was a challenge to subdue. She kicked, scratched, and punched with such force that it sent Brentwood flying into Malibu, and Hollywood was brought to his knees by her bioelectricity attacks.

"Who are you?" shouted Talon, wiping blood from his mouth. "Why are you doing this?"

The woman looked at them, expressionless, but her eyes were calculating what she should do. She was just as beat up as them, if not worse.

Burbank snuck up behind her and tried to tackle her, but she sensed it and kicked him so hard that the stone wall he slammed into cracked. She dropped on all fours and pounced on Delilah, her hands around the clone's throat. Hollywood and Malibu managed to pull her off and each received deep lacerations to their bodies. She struck Maggie, sending her sprawling.

Claw managed to pin the woman and she fought to get up. Suddenly she stopped. She looked into his eyes and he into hers. They both could see the pain and the scars of trauma. They were the same. They had been hurt, betrayed, and were under someone else's thumb. They were the same, and Claw could see it.

The woman electrocuted Claw and kicked him off her. Before anyone could do anything else, she disappeared into the shadows.

"What was that?" asked Talon.

"Don't look at me," said Fang. "I don't know. But I'm willing to bet that it has something to do with Xanatos."

Claw shook his head vigorously. He began to gesture wildly.

"Claw," said Talon. "Claw, stop. I don't know what you're trying to say."

Claw lowered his hands and looked down. How could he tell them? Then an idea came to the mute mutate. He walked over to the stone wall of the tunnel and began etching something with his talon.

"Gen? Gen, U. Gen-U-Tech!" cried Maggie.

"Sevarius!" growled Talon.

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><p><strong>Tell me what you think. Next chapter will be up soon. I hope.<strong>


	5. Chapter 5

Keahi returned to Gen-U-Tech covered in scratches. Her cybernetic arm worked perfectly during the battle.

"Well?" Sevarius asked, excitedly.

Keahi shook her head. "I thought I would be able to attack them while they were busy, but that one raised the alarm. I tried to take them all, but I was overpowered."

"Did you get any of them?" Sevarius asked, ill-concealing the agitation in his voice.

"Two have severe injuries," Keahi said. "The silent mutate was my intended target. I know I left him weakened, as well as the lead mutate, the one known as Talon."

"You fought the mutates and the clones?" Sevarius asked, looking Keahi up and down. "I must say that I thought you would have sustained more damage."

"I would have, if not for this new arm," said Keahi. "Thank you, Anton."

"Tomorrow is another day," said Sevarius. "It may be best to attack them during the day. You can smash the clones while they sleep in stone."

Sevarius had another thought. "Why wait?" he said to himself. "I can have my revenge and you can destroy the fathers of the clones."

He turned to Keahi, who had been listening. "A change of plans, my dear. Tomorrow, I will have my revenge on the ones who've done me wrong. Clean yourself up and make yourself presentable. We don't want our hosts to think you are just some woman off the streets."

Keahi nodded and returned to her room. She washed and dressed her wounds. She had only a few scratches, but she would be bruised in the morning. She went to bed and stared up at the ceiling. Keahi could not sleep. There was something about that mutate she tried to kill that stuck with her. Something about him said that he understood what she was going through.

Keahi banished the thoughts and the memories and rolled over. Instead of feeling like she was falling asleep, she felt like she was waking.

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><p>It was midmorning at Castle Wyvern. The day was just as ordinary as ever for billionaire David Xanatos and family. None of them knew that the day was about to get a lot more interesting. Except for one. Owen had been having an inkling all night and all morning about some sort of danger. The threat was not imminent, but it was closing in. Puck would be ready at a moment's notice if anything should try to harm young Alexander.<p>

Xanatos was sitting in his office when the phone rang. "David Xanatos," he said when he answered the phone.

"Ah, Mr. Xanatos. Just the man I wanted to speak to."

Xanatos frowned. "Sevarius, what do you want?" he snapped.

"Oh, not much," replied Sevarius. "Just my revenge."

"Revenge? For what?" asked Xanatos. He already had his mobile out and was paging Owen.

"Well, you see, the mutates, not as useful as they could be, were still very promising," Sevarius said. "I decided to continue my work on them. What I ended up with was a new human/animal hybrid. I needed some way to test my new creation out, and at the same time, I had a bone to pick with you."

"What are you talking about?"

"You destroyed me!" shouted Sevarius. "Since you decided to become a goody two shoes, Gen-U-Tech has gone under, save for a few private contracts. So I thought my research on genetic modification would be of great use to the military. I wanted to see if I had any success with my newest creation."

"Whatever you are trying to do, Anton, it will fail," said Xanatos confidently. "Your creature cannot touch me in the castle."

Sevarius laughed. "I beg to differ. While I've been chatting with you, she's already in place. By the way, how is your son? He would be about two years old now, wouldn't he?"

"You leave my family out of this!" snarled Xanatos.

"Too late," Sevarius purred evilly. "She already has her orders. And she won't stop until she has carried them out."

Xanatos slammed the phone on its receiver and ran out of his office, shouting for Owen.

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><p>Keahi had been in the building for hours. She had been biding her time until Sevarius placed his call with Xanatos. She was to go to Xanatos's son's nursery and inject him with a gene altering serum. After that, Keahi would kill Xanatos and his wife and take the child to Sevarius for study.<p>

So far all had gone perfectly. Keahi had stolen a key card from an employee. That employee was alive and he would live provided someone found him in the janitor closet she shoved him in within the next hour or so.

Keahi found the nursery without much difficulty. The child was asleep. Keahi stalked up to him, taking the syringe from the pocket of her coat. She stood over him and searched the child's arm for a vein she could stick the needle in.

There was a faint noise that made Keahi turn from the child. She whipped around a split second before a white-haired elf appeared in the room.

"And just what do you think you're doing, sweetheart?" the elf said darkly, cracking his knuckles.

Keahi glared at him, her eyes changing, lighting up with the bioelectricity that coursed through her body. She had been warned that someone may try to stop her, but she never expected this. No matter. Nothing would keep her form completing what Anton sent her to do. Without raising her hand the entire way, she fired a bolt of electricity into the elf. If the elf had been expecting it, he hadn't counted on Keahi's attack to be so powerful. He did not go down, but he was stunned. Keahi kicked him hard in the face and sent him flying out the door. The elf smacked his head off the wall and became still.

"Puck!" a man's voice shouted. Xanatos appeared at the door. He took one look at Keahi and saw the murderous look in her eyes. "You."

Keahi leapt at him, her full weight coming down on his chest and shoulders, forcing him to the floor. She smashed the heel of her hand into his face.

Getting up, Keahi saw that the elf was not staying down. Anton didn't say anything about an elf. Her mission was only the Xanatos family. However, Anton said nothing about killing anyone who got in her way. Keahi walked over to the elf and kicked him in the stomach, driving the heel of her boot forcefully into the soft tissue. She kicked him again and again until she was certain that he would stay down long enough so she could get the child.

Keahi turned back to the child. She walked over to his bed. Surprisingly, the child hadn't stirred at all.

_How odd_, Keahi thought. _Why would a child his age be asleep in the middle of the day? He should be awake and playing._

She reached down and touched the child gently. He stirred and opened his eyes. He blinked at her, questioning who she was and what she was doing. He didn't cry at all, just stared.

_What a beautiful child_, Keahi thought. She suddenly remembered her mission. She looked at the syringe in her hand.

"Keahi, have you located the child?" Anton's voice came through her earpiece.

"Yes," Keahi replied in a low voice.

"Good," Anton said, very pleased. "Now, inject him with the formula."

Blue eyes stared into catlike brown ones. Anton wanted her to destroy this child, turn him into a mutate like herself? Destroy this family? Could she do this? Keahi blinked, scrunching her eyes shut and opening them again.

_What? What am I doing?_

"Keahi, have you done it?" Anton asked. "What's going on?"

"David! Puck!" Fox Xanatos ran to her husband's side. She looked at Keahi. "Get away from my son!"

Keahi held her hand out, sparking with electricity. She continued to blink. She looked over at the child. No matter what Fox did, Keahi could inject the child and have enough time to kill all three of them. She twirled the syringe so she could inject the child with one hand. Keahi glanced at him and caught sight of those eyes again.

"Keahi!" Anton shouted in her ear, making her cringe.

The child looked up at her. "Wake up, lady." The voice was that of a toddler, but the words were as clear as if an adult had spoken.

Keahi gripped the syringe and crushed it, the contents spilling on the rug.

"Keahi, what is happening? Answer me!" Anton roared.

Keahi reached up and yanked the earpiece from her ear. "Go jump in the Hudson, Sevarius!" She fried the earpiece and threw it down.

Keahi turned to Fox and lowered her hand, stepping away from the child. Fox ran to her son and scooped him up in her arms, keeping far away from the woman who just tried to harm her child. A smile tugged at Keahi's mouth, her first smile in a very long time.

Fox and Alexander were both startled when the woman let out a cry of pure pain. She fell to her knees, grabbing at her right shoulder. A mixture of human screams and jungle cat roars filled the nursery. She tore at the sleeve of her coat and ripped off her arm. Horrified at first, but then not seeing any blood, Fox understood that it was a cybernetic arm. The woman continued the scream and writhe on the floor, shrieking in another language.

After what seemed like an eternity of pain, Keahi finally blacked out.

* * *

><p><strong>So what do you think about this chapter? My review board is always open and wants to be posted upon. Please send your comments. I hope to have the next chapter up soon.<strong>


	6. Chapter 6

Keahi came to on a bed. Her arm and legs were strapped to the bed. She was still in the Eyrie Building. Why hadn't they killed her? How come she was still alive?

"She's awake," a voice said.

"Thank you, doctor," said another voice. "That will be all."

Keahi turned her head to the voices. Her sight was blurry, but she could make out the figure of David Xanatos standing not too far from her.

"Can you hear me?" he asked.

Keahi licked her lips. "Yes."

"Good," said Xanatos. "I have a few questions for you. Starting with why you were trying to kill my son."

"Not kill," Keahi said. "Transform. Like me." She swallowed hard. Her throat felt very raw. "Sevarius wanted to study someone mutated from a young age. He wanted me to administer the formula. And kill you."

"So why didn't you?" asked Xanatos.

It took a moment for Keahi to answer the question herself. "I woke up," she said.

"Daddy!"

Xanatos turned, annoyed. "I thought I told you to keep him away from here," he said to Owen.

"I'm sorry, sir," Owen apologized. "He managed to slip by me."

Xanatos picked up Alexander. Alexander looked at Keahi and smiled.

"Hi, lady! Are you awake now?" he asked.

It should have sounded like baby talk to Keahi, complete gibberish that she would have to take two seconds to figure out what he was saying to her. So why did it sound like plain and clear English to her?

"I'm awake," Keahi murmured.

She watched as the child was passed back to the butler and taken out of the room. "He's beautiful," Keahi said to Xanatos. "What's his name?"

"Alexander," replied Xanatos.

Keahi repeated the name softly. She was so tired. She forced her eyes open. "What happened?"

"We're not entirely sure," Xanatos said. "We believe that Sevarius designed your cybernetic arm to kill you if you ever turned on him. It had been storing up electricity from your body and unleashed it back into you. You managed to rip the arm off before it could do irreversible damage to your organs. I doubt Sevarius had counted on your will to survive."

Keahi turned away from him. "What will?" she asked. Tears began to form in her eyes. "I have no real will to live."

"Apparently you do, or you would be dead now," said Xanatos.

"I already am." Keahi felt her throat close with her sobs. "I never really was alive. You would have done me a favor if you had just let me die. Whatever life I would have had not being Sevarius's special project I have ruined. I killed five people in cold blood. If the courts do not give me the death penalty, my days will be spent as some sort of lab rat."

Xanatos smirked. "I'm sure some sort of arrangement can be made. Forgiveness, atonement, and redemption for someone in your position are certainly very difficult to obtain. Alex has already forgiven you for trying to turn him into a mutate like you."

"I'm sorry for striking you in the face like I did," Keahi said, only now noticing the bruise forming on Xanatos' cheek. "I'd apologize to the elf as well if I could find him. I must have done a number on him."

"Puck can be very forgiving," said Xanatos. "As for doing a number on him, it takes a bit more than that to keep him down. He'll be sore, but he'll be fine."

Keahi sighed in relief. "That's good to know." She frowned. "I doubt the other mutates and the clones will be so forgiving."

"Talon?"

"Yes," replied Keahi. "I attacked them the other night."

"That explains the other scratches," Xanatos said. "We were wondering what caused them."

Keahi closed her eyes for a moment and opened them again. It was becoming difficult to keep her eyes open. She couldn't explain why she was so tired.

"You rest now," said Xanatos. He came closer to her and adjusted an IV. So that's why she was tired. She was hooked up to a painkiller of some sort. "I'll have to send for someone to help repair your cybernetic arm."

"You don't have to do that," said Keahi.

"Well, I have to find someone to fix the circuitry that operates it," Xanatos said. "When your arm overloaded, it melted the wires that are integrated into your spinal cord. From what we can tell, your spinal cord is undamaged, but the wires must be replaced."

"Surgery." Keahi stared up at the ceiling. "Great."

"Just get some sleep," said Xanatos. "Detective Maza will be here soon and she'll be waiting to sink her claws into you."

Keahi closed her eyes. She was not going to enjoy this one bit.

* * *

><p>Xanatos made a few phone calls to get in touch with the right people. An hour later, a helicopter landed and Halcyon Renard and Preston Vogel disembarked. Fox and Xanatos were waiting for them.<p>

"Hello, Janine," Renard greeted his daughter. He glared at Xanatos. "You obviously want something from me. What is it?"

"Well, you know a thing or two about robotics," said Xanatos with his typical smug attitude. "I thought you could help with repairing a damaged cybernetic arm."

"What?" Renard raised an eyebrow. "You need my help with something so simple? Janine, he cannot be serious."

"He is, Daddy," Fox said.

"The situation's delicate at best," said Xanatos.

They went to the infirmary and found Owen nursing a nasty scratch on his face.

"What happened, Owen?" asked Xanatos.

"She broke the restraint, sir," replied Owen. "I was checking her vitals and was going to give her another five cc's of morphine and she suddenly jumped up. I did not wake her, I know that. She is experiencing violent dreams, however."

"For someone in her condition, it doesn't surprise me," said Xanatos. "Is she restrained now?"

"Yes, sir," replied Owen. "I used restrains not even Goliath can break."

"Not even Goliath can break?" Renard turned to Xanatos. "Just what exactly am I getting myself into?"

Fox gave a smirk. "You always wanted to see one of Gen-U-Tech's abominations." Her smirk faded and her green eyes rested on the curtain that isolated their new guest. "She tried to kill us this morning and take Alex away, but something went wrong and she turned on Sevarius. Sevarius thought he had all his bases covered with a little insurance plan. He used her cybernetic arm to try to kill her."

"Is it safe to go back there?" asked Vogel.

"At the moment it is," said Owen. "She is sedated, but it is unclear how tolerant her body is to it. She may wake up at anytime."

"Then let's see what the damage is," said Renard. He drove his wheelchair to the curtain and pulled it back. "Oh, my," he managed to get out. He stared open mouthed at the woman in the bed. Her eyes were red and puffy and there were tear streaks down her cheeks. Her breath was coming in shuddering gasps.

Vogel stood behind his employer and gaped. "What. . . ? Who. . . ?"

"We're not entirely sure," said Xanatos. "She woke only for a few minutes, long enough to explain her motives and asked what happened to her."

Renard moved to her opposite side. "This is a mess," he announced, seeing her arm, or what was left of it. "Mr. Vogel, some assistance, please."

Vogel moved around to help Renard. "Are you sure she's out for the count?" he asked before touching her.

"Like I said, it is unclear how tolerant her body is to the sedative," Owen said. He moved to her good arm. "I'll hold this arm down to be sure."

Vogel and Renard carefully unwrapped the loose bandages from her right arm.

"It looks like she broke it off," said Renard. "Most of the circuitry is melted. It was designed to be removed. The seal was probably rubber or plastic. It's burned into her skin."

He shook his head. "The first thing I need to do is remove the remaining portion of the arm. I need to see the damage underneath."

"We have an X-ray of her right shoulder," said Xanatos.

"That will only do so much good," said Renard. "I hope you have a stronger sedative on hand, Xanatos."

"If we wait another hour or so, Goliath and the others will be awake," said Fox. "They can hold her down if they need to."

"She's not going anywhere," said Renard.

There was business elsewhere for Xanatos and Owen to attend to. Fox left to check on Alexander. The child had been acting strangely since the woman had first been brought to the infirmary. He just wanted to be around her.

Renard and Vogel went over what they would need to remove the damage cybernetic arm. Renard needed to see how damaged the arm was. He carefully brushed away some of the burnt seal.

Vogel had his back turned and was making a list of what they would need when there was roar and the breaking of metal. He whirled around to see she had woken up and had ripped the side guard of the bed off and was now gripping Renard's wrist. Owen was right when he said she wouldn't be able to break the restraint. She had broken the bed.

"Mr. Renard!" shouted Vogel.

Renard put his free hand up. "It's all right, Mr. Vogel."

"Please, don't touch," she said, her voice trembling. "It hurts."

Renard gently brushed some of her black hair from her brow. "It's all right. I need to remove the seal so I can see the damage. We need to get the arm off before we try to fix anything."

She nodded and obediently held still as Renard took a scalpel and began to gently remove the burnt seal. She would flinch now and then when Renard scraped live skin.

"You're doing well," Renard said.

Vogel came to stand on her opposite side. He picked up the ruined side guard and unlocked her restraints. "Not doing much good like this," he commented.

"What is your name?" Renard asked.

"Keahi," she replied. "My name is Keahi."

"Where are you from?" Renard asked.

"Waikiki, Hawaii," she answered.

"Keep her talking, Mr. Vogel," Renard said. "It will take her mind off the pain."

Vogel held Keahi's hand. "Is your family still in Hawaii?" he asked. "They must miss you."

"They're dead," Keahi said. "All of them."

Vogel frowned. "What happened?"

Keahi turned away from him. "I rather not talk about it. It still hurts."

"It probably always will," said Renard. "How long ago did they die?"

"My parents died six years ago," Keahi said. "The rest of my family, three."

"Was there an accident?" asked Vogel. He winced as Keahi's grip tightened to the point where he could swear she was trying to break his hand.

"It was no accident," she snarled. "If I ever find the ones responsible, they will wish they were never born. They took everything I had left. My friends, my sister, my happiness." At the last part, she looked at her right arm.

"That's how you lost this arm?" asked Renard.

"Yes," replied Keahi.

"What did you do?" asked Vogel. "Were you a surfer?"

Keahi gave a rueful laugh. "If I was only a surfer, it would have been simple to overcome this handicap. No, I played violin." A few tears slipped from her eyes.

Renard put his scalpel down. "Keahi, I'm going to tug on your arm. Try to hold still."

Keahi grimaced as Renard tugged at her arm.

"Mr. Vogel, I need you to try to pull this off," said Renard.

Vogel came around and took Renard's place. He pulled on the arm. Keahi looked away and began to growl in pain. After a howl of agony from Keahi, Vogel fell backwards, a portion of the damaged cybernetic coming away with him.

"I smell blood," Keahi gasped. "Am I bleeding?"

Renard grabbed the bandages he had taken off Keahi earlier and pressed them against her shoulder. "Yes, and quite a bit."

Vogel looked inside the cybernetic arm. "The burnt skin and some live skin came off with it."

"Along with part of a socket," Renard added, seeing a piece of melted circuitry protruding out. "Are you all right?"

"I'll be fine," sighed Keahi. "I'm guessing it would have hurt more if I wasn't on painkillers."

"Considerably more." Renard checked the bleeding. It had slowed some. "Now, let's see what the damage is."

"May I go to sleep now?" Keahi asked. "I'm tired."

"Go right ahead," Renard said. "We'll try not to disturb you."

* * *

><p>It was the middle of the night when Keahi woke up again. Her shoulder throbbed, but was not in as much pain as it was earlier. She looked over and found it neatly bandaged. The rest of the cybernetic arm had been removed and part of her back ached as well. They must have performed surgery to remove the damaged circuitry while she was asleep.<p>

Keahi licked her lips. "I'm hungry," she muttered.

She sat up and found her restraints removed. She was dressed in a hospital gown, her hair free of its braid. Keahi swung her legs over the side of the bed and padded over to the door. She poked her head around and came face to face with Vogel. He gave a start and jumped back.

"I was not expecting you to be up so soon," he stammered. "I – I don't think any of us were."

Keahi looked Vogel up and down. Instead of looking with her eyes, she looked with her head, turning and tilting it in the direction she wanted to look. The action was very catlike and an already unnerved Vogel became even more nervous. He swallowed hard.

"May I help you with something?" he asked, leaning back. Keahi reached up to touch him. "What are you doing?"

She simply brushed a little piece of fuzz from his suit jacket.

"Why so nervous?" she asked.

Keahi didn't wait for Vogel to answer. She sashayed down the hall.

She could smell food. All she needed to do was follow her nose. Keahi found her way into the kitchen. There were the gargoyles standing by the stove getting their dinner.

"May I have some of that?" Keahi asked.

The gargoyles jumped and turned to her. "Sure," said a portly gargoyle.

Keahi got some soup and went back to the infirmary to eat it. When she was finished, she went back to sleep.

* * *

><p>It took both Maggie and Claw to hold Talon back from barging into the castle and ripping off Xanatos' head without waiting for an explanation.<p>

"XANATOS!" Talon roared as he entered the castle. "Where are you, you conniving snake?"

Xanatos looked up from his paperwork as Talon knocked the doors to his office off their hinges. "You seem a trifle irked, Talon," Xanatos said calmly. "What can I do for you?"

"Where's Sevarius?" demanded Talon.

"I would like to know that as well," said Xanatos.

"Don't toy with me," warned Talon, his eyes flashing.

Maggie grabbed one of Talon's arms to keep him from leaping over the desk and throwing Xanatos out the window. "He may not know, Derek," she said.

"He works for him," Talon argued. "How can he not know?"

Xanatos put his hands together on the desk. "We parted company some time ago. And all connections have been severed now after what happened this morning."

Maggie gasped. "She was here? That woman?"

"She still is." Xanatos got up. "If you like to see her, she's in the infirmary."

Claw backed out of the room. No one saw him leave.

"Why haven't you turned her over to my sister?" Talon asked.

"Detective Maza has been informed, but the situation is not normal," said Xanatos. "Suppose it was one of you being arrested. You would not just be thrown in prison. Neither would she."

Talon growled, knowing that Xanatos was right.

* * *

><p>Alexander Xanatos was one-quarter fey, knew how to use magic, was very intelligent for someone his age, and quite the escape artist. While his uncle and his parents were busy with other things that he didn't understand, Alexander got out of bed and walked to the infirmary. No one was there except for the lady. She was asleep, but at some point she had woken up to eat something. There was an empty bowl on the wheeled table.<p>

The bed was adjusted in such a fashion that the lady was able to turn on her side and curl up, the head of the bed only slightly elevated. She lay on her good arm, her knees brought up in front of her. Her black hair trailed behind her on the sheets.

Opening her eyes, she saw Alexander standing there. She propped herself up on her arm and stared at him. After a moment, she sat up and beckoned him forward. Alexander floated up to her and he settled down beside her. She lay back down and positioned her arm around him so he didn't fall out of bed in the middle of the night. She drew her knees up so she was curled around the toddler.

"Lady, what's your name?"

"Keahi," came the soft reply.

"Kay-ah-hee," Alexander sounded out.

Keahi purred and Alexander went to sleep. She stayed awake a few moments more before allowing herself to fall into a drug-induced slumber.

It must have been only a few minutes before Keahi was disturbed again. She opened her eyes to see Claw standing nearby. She flinched, careful not to wake Alexander. She tensed, her pupils becoming more oblique. Claw stayed where he was, his ears down and his eyes wide. After a long, intense moment of not knowing who was going to attack who, Keahi relaxed. Claw slowly moved closer to the bed. Keahi could see that he wasn't going to hurt her.

"Do not wake him," Keahi whispered.

Claw shook his head. He reached down and cupped Keahi's cheek. She stared up at him, her eyes wide with what she saw. Forgiveness. It was written all over Claw's face. Tears began to slide down her cheeks as her chest and throat constricted. Claw brushed some of her hair back on the pillow and brought a finger to his lips. With that, he left the infirmary to leave Keahi and Alexander sleep.

**So, tell me what you think. I'm waiting for your reviews.**


	7. Chapter 7

In the morning, Fox could not find Alexander. He wasn't in his room. Her thoughts immediately went to Keahi. Had she taken Alexander to Sevarius, even after what he did to her? She searched everywhere for him, checking with her husband and Owen. She was about to run to the surveillance room when she heard her little boy's voice.

"Mama, what's wrong?"

Fox whirled around to see Alexander standing behind her. He looked like he just woke up. He was rubbing the sleepies out of his eyes.

"Where were you?" Fox asked, scooping him up.

"I went to see the lady," Alexander answered. "Ke'hi."

"Ke'hi?" whispered Fox, not entirely sure what he was talking about. Then it hit her. Keahi! "What were you doing there?"

"She needed some help," said Alexander.

Fox was relieved that Alexander was not hurt. "Let's get you dressed and get you some breakfast."

"Pancakes?" asked Alexander.

"We'll see," said Fox.

Fox got Alexander dressed and took him to the kitchen. Renard was sipping his coffee and talking to Xanatos. Surprisingly, they were both in a good mood. Renard did not appear to be holding any resentment toward Xanatos. They were discussing what to do about Keahi's right arm.

"I can create a new arm, but she won't be able to use it until her shoulder finishes healing," said Renard.

"Can you recreate the old one?" asked Xanatos.

"I may," answered Renard. "But what I can tell from the remains of the old arm, it is an inferior model. I can create one that is more durable. She won't be able to break it. We should ask her if there is anything she would like to include in the new arm."

"We'll ask when she wakes up," said Xanatos.

"She's awake," said Alexander.

They turned to him.

"How do you know?" asked Renard.

"I woke her up," Alexander said. "I got out of bed and she woke up when I did. And she needed some help."

Fox looked at him. "You said that earlier," she said. "What did she need your help with?"

"Her hair kept getting in her face," Alexander answered. "She couldn't tie it back with one hand."

* * *

><p>Keahi was awake for a little while and lay back down and went to sleep for a few minutes. She heard someone come in and opened her eyes. It was Owen. He came to the side of her bed. Keahi sat up and looked at him. She let out a small cry of pity when she saw the scratch on his cheek.<p>

"I did that, didn't I?" she asked quietly.

"This was an accident," said Owen. "Do not concern yourself with it."

His words did not make Keahi feel any better about it. She crossed her arm around her middle.

"I need to change your bandage," Owen said.

Keahi untied the top tie of her hospital gown to allow Owen to unwrap her shoulder. She looked over and saw the stitches that made their way across her shoulder and around her back.

"We have noticed an anomaly on the X-ray of your shoulder," Owen said. "There appears to be a build up of bone."

Keahi looked at him. "Pull down my gown in the back," she said.

Owen complied. He saw two pale lines at her shoulder blades. He watched as the skin moved and Keahi let out a groan. A pair of black bat wings sprouted from her back. They stretched out before folding around her shoulders.

"So you can fly," Owen said.

"Yes." Keahi nodded and pulled her wings back into herself. "I don't use them much. I don't think I would get very far if I tried. The muscles are only strong enough to get me a hundred yards or so before I feel like I have to land."

Owen re-bandaged her shoulder before saying anything else. "Young Alexander appears to have taken a liking to you."

Keahi smirked. "Yes, he has. You keep trying to keep him out of here and he comes in anyway. He came in late last night. Stayed still in bed the entire time."

"That explains why Mrs. Xanatos couldn't find him this morning," Owen said.

"Sorry to cause you upset over it," said Keahi.

Owen said nothing. He turned to the door. "You have a visitor."

Keahi looked up and saw Claw standing in the doorway. Owen left and Claw came in. He was holding a tablet and a pen.

_How are you feeling?_ Claw wrote.

"I'm okay," Keahi said.

_That's good. I was a little worried._

Keahi frowned at him. "Worried? Why? I tried to kill you. I thought you would be thrilled to know I was injured and that Sevarius tried to kill me."

Claw shook his head, scowling. _No one deserves this._ He motioned to himself and to Keahi. _What he did was wrong. You're not at fault for that._

"I killed innocent people," Keahi nearly spat. "Nothing excuses that."

Claw wrinkled his nose. _You need to talk to Talon's sister. She'll help. She's a detective and very nice._

"Maza, right?" asked Keahi. Claw nodded. She sighed, "I don't like where this is going."

Claw scribbled something down and tapped Keahi to get her attention. _She's not like other people. She'll help._

"Fine," conceded Keahi. "I'll talk to her."

* * *

><p>After lunchtime, Keahi finally dragged herself out of bed and went searching for something to eat. There was a turkey sandwich sitting on the counter with a note saying that it was for her. Keahi ate and decided to walk around the castle for a little bit before going back to bed.<p>

Keahi could hear a child giggling in one of the rooms. The door was opened just a crack. Keahi peeked in and saw Alexander making several brightly colored balls fly around the room in a row.

"See, you got it," came a familiar voice. Keahi almost didn't recognize it without the dark edge to it. "One more lap around the room and then put them in your toy box."

Keahi pushed the door opened and saw the elf bobbing in the air.

Alexander put the balls in the toy box and looked over at the opened door. "Ke'hi!" he cried.

The elf whirled around. "How long have you been standing there?" he asked.

"Not long," replied Keahi, her eyes fixed on him. Her gaze moved to his stomach. "How badly are you hurt?"

The elf smiled. "I'm fine. Don't worry your pretty little head about it. My name's Puck."

"Keahi," she politely introduced.

Alexander hopped up to her. Keahi easily caught him with one arm and held him close. Alexander's hand brushed her bandages and Keahi flinched slightly, but she was careful not to hurt Alexander when she did. He hugged her and she leaned her head against his and purred.

Alexander giggled. "She's like a cat."

Puck chuckled. "I think that's enough for today, Alex."

"Okay," said Alexander.

Keahi put him down. Something caught her attention. She sniffed the air a little and turned to the door. There was someone there.

"There you are," said a dark-skinned woman in a red jacket.

"Ah, the ever lovely Elisa Maza," said Puck, floating over to her, taking both her hands in his. "And what may I do for you this fine day?"

"Oh, stop it," said Elisa, pulling her hands away.

If Puck was offended, he didn't show it. "I didn't think you would be here until tonight."

"Circumstances said otherwise," Elisa said, turning to Keahi. "I need to talk to you." She looked at Alexander. "But not here."

Keahi walked out the door and the two women went outside.

"Claw says good things about you, Detective," said Keahi.

Elisa frowned. "Claw doesn't speak."

"But he can write," Keahi said. "He says you can help me."

"I don't know about that," said Elisa. "You've murdered six people."

Keahi tilted her head. "Six? No, that's not right."

Elisa frowned. "There are more?"

"No, less," said Keahi. "Only five died by my hand."

"Tell me," said Elisa. "Why?"

"Sevarius told me to," said Keahi. "They were practice. At least four of them were."

"And the fifth?" asked Elisa.

"The one at the zoo," said Keahi. Her eyes went farseeing, remembering what she had done. "The security guard at the Bronx Zoo. I'm not entirely sure what happened there. I don't remember all of it. I remember being around the large cats exhibits. He began to harass some of them. After that, it's all a blur. The next clear memory I had was standing over a dismembered body. I was covered in blood and even had it in my mouth."

Elisa stared at her for a long moment. "Open your mouth," she commanded. Keahi opened her mouth farther than a normal human could and revealed the large canines of a jungle cat. Elisa shuddered. "Maybe it's best if you don't know what happened."

"I need to know," said Keahi.

Elisa sighed. "You ate him," she told Keahi. "At least parts of him."

Keahi felt like she was going to be ill. "I did that? Oh. Oh!" She covered her mouth with her hand and felt herself falling backwards. Two large hands caught her and helped her upright. Keahi turned around. "Thank you, Claw."

Claw nodded. He looked at Elisa, his eyes pleading.

"Why do you say I killed six people?" asked Keahi.

"There was another body found," said Elisa. "It has the same claw and bite marks as your zoo victim. You said you didn't remember much about him. Is it possible that you killed this new victim and you don't remember?"

"I'm sure I would have some memories if I had," said Keahi.

"Then did Sevarius create another mutate like you?"

The thought sickened her. Another mutate meant another shot at Alexander and his family, along with Talon's mutates.

Keahi growled. Elisa took a step back and Claw tightened his grip on Keahi. "If he has created another like me, then he will try again." She sighed. "This is a disaster."

"I'll warn Xanatos," said Elisa. "How long did it take for you to be sent out after Xanatos?"

Keahi shook her head. "Longer than it would to train a new mutate just as bloodthirsty as me. I needed a cybernetic arm. The healing process took longer than the mutation process normally would have."

Elisa shook her head. "You're right, it is a disaster. You're sure?"

"I'm sure," Keahi firmly said.

She heard something above them. Keahi looked up and saw the black hair of Preston Vogel pass the edge of a battlement.

Vogel turned around and saw Keahi perched on the wall. He let out a startled cry and jumped back. He looked at the content look on her face. She wasn't smiling with her mouth, but she was with her eyes.

"You enjoy this, don't you?" he asked.

Keahi nodded before jumping down to where she was a moment ago.

"I see you found a pastime," Elisa said.

Keahi nodded. "He is so jumpy. It would be a complete waste to pass up a chance to startle him."

Claw smiled. He thought it was funny as well.

Keahi became serious again. "Now this has me worried."

Elisa put her hand on Keahi's shoulder. "Don't worry about it. Now that we know there is a possibility for another mutate to come after Xanatos, we can be prepared."

"You are right," said Keahi.

After their conversation, Keahi went back inside. She was feeling sleepy again. Keahi wandered back to the infirmary.

"Miss Keahi."

Miss? Keahi could not remember anyone addressing her as Miss before. She turned around to see Owen walking up to her.

"Alexander wishes to see you," Owen said.

Keahi narrowed her eyes slightly, but went to the nursery.

Alexander was supposed to be taking his nap, but he demanded that he play with Keahi. He watched her come into his room and close the door.

"Ke'hi!" he cried, floating from his bed and to her.

Keahi wrapped her arm around him. "Aren't you supposed to be taking a nap?"

"I want to be with you," Alexander said.

There was a love seat on one side of the room. Keahi walked over and lay down, Alexander resting his head on her shoulder on the side with the backrest. She threw her legs over the armrest to allow her feet to dangle over the side. It didn't take long before they both were asleep.

* * *

><p><strong>Review! I'm eager to hear what you have to say!<strong>


	8. Chapter 8

She wasn't sure how long she was asleep, but when she woke, Alexander was gone. She sat up and looked around. Where had he gone? There was a clock on the wall. It was after sunset. Keahi had been asleep for a long time.

The door opened just as Keahi was getting up. It was Fox. She was carrying some clothes.

"Hey," she said. "I thought you would like to wear something else. That hospital gown does nothing for you. You're about the same size as I am, so I'm sure we can find something of mine that will fit you."

"Thank you," said Keahi.

Fox spread the selection over the bed. Keahi peered over her shoulder at the clothes. The tops were all backless, something that was somewhat of a relief for Keahi. The bottoms were mostly shorts.

Keahi stripped down to her panties and began to try on the bottoms. She had an idea of what she wanted. The bottoms she chose were a pair of black, tight shorts, similar to the ones she wore earlier. Now for the tops. Keahi spied a halter top that fitted all of her needs. She slipped it on and adjusted the button at the neck. The top was a rich red color that rested below her bust. Keahi spread her wings to see if they would catch on the fabric. They didn't.

"This will work," said Keahi, caping her wings over her shoulders.

"How is your shoulder?" asked Fox.

Keahi looked at the bandages. "It's fine."

Fox smiled. "That's good," she said. Her smile faded. "Elisa told me there is the possibility for another mutate to be wandering around."

"It is a possibility," said Keahi.

"You don't sound worried," Fox said.

Keahi looked her in the eye. "What is the point of worrying? It is a complete waste."

"You're worried."

Keahi looked away and at the window. "I am. If you could not stop me, how are you going to stop another mutate?"

"We know what's coming," said Fox. "Puck is prepared and we have the Steel Clan. And then there's you."

"I cannot do much with one arm," Keahi said.

Fox smiled again. "I think you can do more than you think."

Keahi did not appear to be reassured by that.

Finding that she was hungry again, Keahi went to the kitchen. The gargoyles had already gotten their dinner and there was no extra bowl or plate set out for her. Keahi raided the pantry and found several cans of tuna. Licking her lips, she took a few cans from the pantry and went to find someplace quiet to eat.

Keahi found a nice dining area on a balcony. She perched herself on the wall and opened one can.

"There you are."

Keahi looked up at Xanatos.

"I was wondering where you got to." He stepped closer only to have Keahi growl at him. "All right. I'll stand here."

Keahi shoveled some tuna into her mouth and licked her fingers clean. She sat up and set the can aside. "What do you want?"

"I want to talk about your arm," said Xanatos. "If that is fine with you."

Keahi opened another can of tuna. "All right."

"Sevarius created a cybernetic arm for you to use. It was a good attempt, but it could have been better."

Keahi narrowed her eyes. "What are you saying?"

"Renard and I will collaborate on the designs for your new cybernetic arm," said Xanatos. "You will need to heal first before you can use it, but you will have two arms again."

Keahi set the tuna can down. "You do not have to do that for me."

"But I am," said Xanatos. He turned and walked away.

"Thank you," Keahi called after him.

Xanatos looked over his shoulder. "You're welcome."

Not long later, Keahi went inside to dispose of the empty cans. She had a very strange feeling like something was about to happen. Her muscles tensed and her senses sharpened. Her body was going into hunt mode. Keahi's bare feet made no noise on the stone floor.

She was just about to Alexander's room when she caught the scent of something both human and animal. Keahi put her ear to the door and listened. There was something moving inside, something large and breathing heavily.

Keahi opened the door. The room was dark, but her cat eyes could see what was inside clearly. Standing over Alexander's empty bed was something as large as Goliath and just as powerful. It turned to her, eyes blazing white and large bat wings spread. The bipedal form had the head of a lion, but it was spotted, like a leopard or a cheetah.

The mutate leaped at her, tackling Keahi and sending her out into the hallway. She kicked it hard, but it barely fazed it. It picked her up and threw her back into Alexander's room. She hit the floor and skidded into a bookshelf which toppled on top of her.

"Dr. Sevarius told me that there was a traitor." The voice was male, deep and rough. "I did not suspect you to still be here. I thought you would have turned tail and run the first chance you got. How foolish of you, Keahi."

She lifted the bookshelf off of her and pushed it aside. "You know my name, but I don't know yours." She stood up, her eyes flashing.

"Why do you need to know?" he growled.

He lunged at her. This time Keahi was prepared for it and jumped over his head, kicking him in the process. She wished she had some sort of footwear on. The foot she struck him with throbbed.

"Just curious," answered Keahi.

"Curiosity killed the cat," he growled. "If you must know, my name is Chimera."

Chimera fired a bolt of bioelectricity at Keahi. She ducked under it and charged. She managed to scratch his face before he punched her in the stomach. Keahi went flying back. When he tired to pin her to the ground, she kicked him between the legs, the only place she could think of where she could certainly do damage. Chimera let out a cry and she kicked him a second time before grabbing his mane and shooting bioelectricity through his body. Chimera roared and grabbed her by the front of her shirt. Keahi crashed through the window and began to fall. Her wings instinctively opened and caught an updraft.

"What's going on?" shouted Xanatos.

Before Keahi could answer, she was struck again by bioelectricity. She lost altitude and reached for the stone wall of the castle. Her fingers dug into the stone block. Breathing a sigh of relief, Keahi powered up the wall and swung herself over the side.

Xanatos was contending with Chimera. He had a laser gun pointed at the mutate, but Chimera refused to stay still for Xanatos to get a shot.

"Try to kill me, little man," taunted Chimera.

Keahi slammed her full weight into Chimera and it sent them both off the wall and into the landing of the doors that led to the great hall. She whipped around and slammed her heel into his face.

"Witch!" yelled Chimera. He sliced her stomach. "That'll teach you."

Keahi grabbed at her middle. She looked down and saw four deep scratches. There was the possibility that it was a fatal wound, but this was not the time to think about that. Xanatos needed her help.

Hudson and Bronx heard the commotion outside and rushed out to see what was going on. Hudson sprang into action when he saw Chimera break Xanatos' laser gun in two with little difficulty.

Chimera chuckled darkly. He looked at his hand. Hudson's sword had left a deep cut below his fourth and fifth fingers. "Now this is becoming fun."

Bronx ran over to Keahi. She pushed him away and got to her feet.

Now Owen was outside. He transformed into Puck and went to Xanatos and Hudson.

"How many of these things did Sevarius create?" Puck asked, pulling Xanatos to his feet.

Keahi snarled and pounced on Chimera, biting his shoulder. Her teeth were sharp enough and long enough to create a wound that Chimera could not ignore. With her claws, Keahi ripped one of his wings, rendering it useless.

Chimera roared in pain and anger. "You miserable wench, I'll tear you apart!"

Keahi and Chimera were now in a match to see who could overpower the other. By some miracle, Keahi managed to push him over the side of the wall. There was a roar from Chimera and a sickening squelch and a thump.

Puck, Xanatos, Hudson, and Bronx rushed to where they went over the side. It was a gruesome sight. There was a lamppost below that usually cast a white glow. If the lamp had not been broken, it would have cast a red glow now. Chimera was dead for certain. But what about Keahi? She was lying in the grass not too far away in a heap.

Puck flew down to her. "Oh, dear," he muttered as he turned her over. There was a puddle of blood on the grass. "It's okay, kitten," he said. "It's okay."

"Puck, is she all right?" Xanatos asked.

Hudson landed next to Puck. Xanatos came running with Bronx on his heels. They could see how badly Keahi was hurt.

Puck let out a frustrated sigh. "Oberon's probably going to have a cow if I do this, but Alexander will have a complete fit if I don't."

His eyes lit up green and he rested one hand on her stomach. He whispered an incantation under his breath. Keahi moaned and arced into Puck's hand. Green magic poured into the gashes in her stomach. Puck looked at her face and saw Keahi staring back at him. Her eyes slowly closed, as did her wounds.

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><p><strong>Let me know what you think. I'm trying to keep this a T rating, so that's why I'm being vague about the details of Chimera's death. You can use your imaginations for that. Please send reviews. The next chapter will probably be the final one for this story.<strong>


	9. Chapter 9

**A few weeks later**

Keahi sat on a bed in the infirmary. Xanatos and Renard had completed the new cybernetic arm weeks ago, but Keahi's shoulder was only now healed enough to handle the new limb. Claw stood off to the side watching intently.

Xanatos poked the cybernetic fingers with a needle. They would twitch when he did so. "How does that feel?" he asked.

Keahi smiled. "It will most certainly take some getting used to," she replied. "I can feel, but not like I can with my other hand."

"I remembered what you said about playing the violin," said Renard. "I thought you would like to be able to play again if you choose to."

"Thank you," said Keahi.

"How are things in the Labyrinth?" Xanatos inquired.

Claw made several quick gestures. Unlike his pantomiming before, these movements appeared more intelligible.

"He says things are well," Keahi translated.

"He can sign now?" asked Xanatos.

Keahi nodded. "I've taught him a few signs. It's challenging when you only have one hand to make them with. Thankfully there is someone else in the Labyrinth that understands sign language as well. We've been teaching Talon, Maggie, and the clones, too."

Renard handed Keahi a small curved cap of some sort. "That's to fit over the sockets when you do not have the arm on. You can get them wet, but I would advise against it."

Keahi thanked him and tucked it into her trench coat pocket.

Claw signed something to Keahi.

"We should be getting back," Keahi said. "I have guard duty tonight."

"Take care, Keahi," said Renard.

"Aloha," she said.

They were in the hall when Keahi tapped Claw's arm. "I have something I need to take care of first. You can start back without me."

Claw shook his head and pointed to where he stood. He was going to wait for her.

"All right," said Keahi. "I shouldn't be too long."

Keahi crept over to Alexander's room. She opened the door a crack and found the room dark. Alexander was sleeping and Puck was moving around the room, picking up toys.

"Aloha," Keahi whispered.

Puck turned and smiled. He put a finger to his lips and waved her in. "I just put him down. Don't wake him."

"I won't. I was looking for you," Keahi said.

Puck tilted his head in confusion. "Now what would you like of little old me?"

Keahi put both arms around him in a gentle hug. "Just to say thank you again. For everything." She gave Puck a kiss on the cheek. "Mahalo."

Puck patted her head. "Such a nice kitty."

Keahi purred.

"You better get going, kitten," Puck said. "Or your boyfriend may think you're cheating on him." He laughed quietly as Keahi wrinkled her nose at him.

Keahi smiled and slipped out as quietly as she came in.

_Are you okay?_ Claw asked as they flew across the dusky sky.

Keahi looked back at him. "I'm fine. I'm happy."

_Arm?_

Keahi shook her head. "I have a family again."

They landed in an alley where there was an entrance to the Labyrinth.

"I have someone to look out for. And someone to look out for me." Keahi turned to Claw. She stood on her tiptoes and gave Claw a quick kiss on the lips. "And I have you."

Claw beamed and put his hand in hers as they walked home.

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><p><strong>I hope you've enjoyed this story. I keep checking my traffic and I see there are a lot of visitors, so I am assuming that I am doing a good job. I must say that Keahi was one of my favorite characters to create and also one of the most challenging. Keep your eyes open for more of my stories. One of these stories — I don't know when — I may be calling Keahi back again. It may be awhile before I do because I have several other stories lined up to post, but I wouldn't mind writing another story with her. Review! This is the only way I know what you think about my stories.<strong>


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